Why I love my job

When I read Patrick's post about the jerk conductor he had a recent experience with, it made me sad because that sort of behavior is so unnecessary. You motivate players with a sincere love for what you do, not sarcasm and condescension.

So, I wanted to help counter that with a positive post about our boy, Osmo. The past couple of days in rehearsal have ben intense as we prepare the Eroica, the 1st, and the overture to Fidelio. A few things happened that I wanted to report to give hope that not all conductors are jerks.

Osmo is very big on getting the biggest dynamic range he can but it goes from the softest he can get not just the loud. It's one of the reaons the MO has such a distinct sound. There are very few orchestras that play a true pianissimo like us. So, he was working on a passage with the fiddles and it was very intense. He yelled out an instruction and I think he saw a reaction on the faces of some of the players. He stopped conducting and said to himself but out loud in a chastened way, "Osmo, why do you have to scream?" Then he sort of shook his head and apologized and proceeded to correct and lavish the fiddles with praise for playing a difficult passage well.

Yesterday he did something else that'll do your hearts good. He was tuning a tricky section with the woodwinds in finale of the Eroica when he stopped and said something to the strings I've been waiting to hear for thirty years:

"I have to say something as a wind player (he is a rather good clarinetist). When I am tuning the winds please do not pluck your strings to give the "proper" intonation. This is very annoying. They do not have the opportunity to offer the pitch to correct every one of you when you play out of tune. Maybe your intention is good but it is really hurtful. Please don't do it."

Praise the lord!

It's that kind of rehearsing and human relations approach that makes my job an immense pleasure, folks, honestly. There was a time when he first got here where I had my weeks in the barrel. What I've found is that if you really pay attention to what the guy with the stick wants and look at a piece of music in terms of thinking what he's going to want here or there, you're going to have an easier time of it. That only happens as time passes and you pay attention.

Anyway, I've done this 3rd symphony a hunbdred times but this ranks up there as one of the two best I've ever done. The other conductor I loved doing this with was Klaus Tennstedt. It was the big, romanticized style but I loved every second of it. You know, all the inserts and stuff. Fun to do. This weeks version is all the original notes but very powerful, anyway.

Yes, you are one lucky fellow - not just because God blessed you with the talent of a world class musician, not just because you are able to make a living doing what you love. You are lucky because the people you work with on a daily basis perform so harmoniously. A harmony that occurs because the egos of the musicians are neither coddled to nor suppressed, but thoughtfully nurtured by your leader.

That level of leadership is EXTREMELY rare in most professions, but is critical to creating healthy, successful organizations that perform at high levels.

"I have to say something as a wind player (he is a rather good clarinetist). When I am tuning the winds please do not pluck your strings to give the "proper" intonation. This is very annoying. They do not have the opportunity to offer the pitch to correct every one of you when you play out of tune. Maybe your intention is good but it is really hurtful. Please don't do it."

"I have to say something as a wind player (he is a rather good clarinetist). When I am tuning the winds please do not pluck your strings to give the "proper" intonation. This is very annoying. They do not have the opportunity to offer the pitch to correct every one of you when you play out of tune. Maybe your intention is good but it is really hurtful. Please don't do it."

Click to expand...

So, what did their faces look like after he said THAT?! They didn't just get up and walk en masse in protest?

A conductor who understands how annoying strings can be? ? I don't believe you

If he has persuaded them to stop that, has he had any success in stopping the incredibly pretentious looking wafting of the bow that string players seem to think counts as applauding, when a conductor or soloist comes on?
I have seen this from both the audience side and the playing side and I still think it looks pretentious not to mention quite stupid, if you don't know that this is what string players do. It surely isn't impossible for them to put one hand against another in rapid repetition?

I just think it thrilling that wind players may finally be taking over! Gerry Schwartz, now Osmo...so much better than the usual podium fare of ex-string players (who are used to everything sharp), and promoted pianists (who regard intonation as something you pay somebody else to do and who see "con molto rubato" after every tempo marking).

You know, as a band director, that story is a very important read; especially with concert season under way. We all tend to get a bit more stressed and it comes out...usually aimed at drummers or students who either didn't practice or act like divas. I would love to be a fly on the wall at MO hall during a rehearsal to watch the Maestro's leadership. Thanks again, Manny...much needed re-focus!